brillig

English

Etymology

Supposedly from bryl or broil.

Noun

brillig (uncountable)

1. A nonce word in Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, explained by Humpty Dumpty as "four o'clock in the afternoon — the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."
   • 1871, Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky:

     'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe

Translations

nonce word

• French: brilgue
• German: brillig
• Portuguese: briluz (pt) m

See also

• brillig on Wikipedia.Wikipedia